Electric ignition system for internal-combustion engines.



J. L. MILTON. ELECTRIC IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES,APPLICATION FILED 00120. 1911 1 ,039, 1 '7 1 Patented Sept. 24. 1912.

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JOHN LEWIS MILTON, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24., 1912.

Application filed October 20, 1911. Serial No. 655,746.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Joim LEWIS BTU/TON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State ofKentucky, have invented a certain new and Improved Electric IgnitionSystem for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is afull, clear. concise, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to ignition systems for internal combustionengines, and its object is to provide a spark arr-ester which operatesinrcverse manner to a distributcr. This is usedto short circuit hightension current outside of the engines spark plugs, progressively in theorder of firing.

A further object is to admit of starting an automobile engine from theseat without cranking, when the cylinders are full of combustible gas,by simply closing an auxiliary battery switch, in an ignition system inwhich sparks are normally simultaneously created in two cylinders.

An instance of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing,which is a diagrann'natic representation of the circuit.

Referring to the circuit, it will be seen that the current is suppliedby means of a generator, G, also a battery, B. One terminal (G) of thegenerator winding is connected to the binding post, Z, of timer, T,which is, in turn, connected to both primary windings of the twotransformer "or induction coils, T and T through contacts K and. K ofknife switch K. The other generator terminal, G through conductor, G isjoined with one terminal, B of the bat.- tery; together these are led tothe binding post, Y, of the timer, which is also permanently connectedwith the condenser, 0, through cond=' :tor, C Binding post, Y, is alsoconnected to the timer blade, T, which is insulated from the ground andI have used the timer device disclosed in my U. S. application 443,608,for this circuit. The other pole of the battery is connectethto thecontact, K, of the knife switch.

The insulated contact, T of the timer, is connected to contact K of theknife switch; also to insulated contact T of the swinging arm, T,'whichis brought into contact and held in contact while the timer isoperating, first with contact T then with contact T by means of theeccentric T, which is carried by the timer shaft. This arm, '1, ispivoted on shaft T. When contacts T and T are together the electricalimpulse is directed through binding post X, and conductor X ,to theprimary winding, T \Vhen contacts T 6 and T are together, the electricalimpulse is directed through binding post X and conductor X to theprimary winding T of transformer coil, T.

\Vhen the knife switch is in the position shown in diagram, one terminalof condenser C is connected through conductor C contacts K" and Kconductor C, contacts K, K and conductor C. This places both ends of thecondenser across the generating winding of G, and is a similar circuitused in my U. S. applications No. 384,049 and No. 443,608. When theknife switch is thrown to the other side, the generator is'thrown out ofthe circuit and the battery current is then sent to the induction coilsthrough conductors B and T from one pole, and received through conductorB and the other part of the circuit, as described. The condenser is thenplaced across the contact points T and T The auxiliary switch, F, isconnected to binding post, Y, and contact, T so that when the engine isstationary, the battery circuit may be closed and opened for generatingand sending a spark to the spark plug.

The interrupter, or timer, includes a cam, T having wings, as shown,this cam being mounted upon the end of the generator spindle, not shown,and rotating, therefore, at the same speed as the rotor of thegenerator, and with fixed angularity with respect thereto. The functionof the cam is ultimately to cause the appropriate vibration of thecontact spring, T. This contact spring is mounted upon a metallicpedestal, which, in turn, is attached to the supporting timer plate, andinsulated.

\Vhen operating on current supplied from the magneto, the contactspring, T is brought into electrical connection with the upper contactof T before the peak of the wave of electromotive force set up in thegenerator coil is reached. At or about the instant the peak of the waveis reached, the

contact spring is moved suddenly from the 45 arrester arm is rotated itis brought into' contact with the insulated contacts in the order inwhich the engine cylinders are fired. In the diagram the order is shown50 between upper contact of T and spring T tween the contact of spring Tand lower contact of T whereupon the condenser is discharged through theprimary winding of the transformer, aided, under certainconditions, bythe electromotive force of the generator, forces a sudden impulseofcurrent through the primary winding of the transformer.- Since, theprimary winding has been subjected to a diminishing current,-

and consequently *the cores of the trans-,

former-to -a..Wea kened energization, a very sudden change is caused bythe sudden rush of current through the primary winding. v

the gas in the cyhnderm which.

causing two ex-- This rapid change causes a current impulse of veryhigh'tension to be set up in the sondary winding of transformers. It isiis high tension current which causes a park to pass between theelectrodes of the spark plug. hen the timer is operating ;0ncurrentsupplied from the battery, the

electrical action is similar, however, there is a continuous, constantpressure current in place of alternating waves.

The high tension circuitconsists of two secondary windings, T and T thetermi- .path. of lower electrical resistancefor the .nals of T beingconnected to spark plugs l and 4,-and the-terminals of T being connectedto spark plugs 2 and 3-, also conductors 12,'2-2, 32 and 42, connectedrespectively to insulated contacts 1*, 2 3 and 4 of SA, whichi's'a sparkarrester designedto provide, at predetermined intervals, :1

electric current than across a. spark plug or spark: gap in a cylinder,as the conducting arm, S, which is connected to the ground, isrotated-This arm is" rotated" by .the engine'at'a definiteratio to thet'imer.For conditions as shown in the-diagrammatic drawing, the spark arresterarm will rotate at half engine speed while the timer mechanism operatesat engine speed. As the spark secondary-windings, T and T When thecurrent is created in T it flows through conductor 2-1, across sparkplug'2 to the ground. If the spark arrester was not incorpora-ted in thesystem, the current'would flow through the ground, then across sparkplug '3, returning .by conductor-31 to the 60 secondary-winding T In astandard four cylinder, four cycle internal combustionengine, thecurrent leaping across plug 2 would ignite theg'as, and the currentwould pass across plug3 just about the. time the intake valve of thecylinder in whichit is' spark would "cylinder in which 3 is proximatelyhalf full of gas, supposing the placed would be opening, the fresh gas.if

any, would be too weak or thin to ignite,

tion for starting on the spark when it is.

desired to start on-the spark, and the auxiliary switch F is pressed andreleased to send the'battery current to transformer T, a

occur at plugs-2 and 3. The

placed-would be apcrank to have'stopped, normally at a point I 90degrees from the engine dead center.- .This spark at plug 3, under someconditions.

will ignite the gas at the. same time that plug 2 is placed is ignited,thereby plosion's, then the motor will not start. To overcome thiscondition. I haveinterposed aspark arresterwhich, in the condition thusdescribed, would causethe current to pass outside of plug 3*,thereby-preventinga spark .at this plug, andallowingthe engine to startrotating by the explosion caused by the spark from plug 2. The samecondition will occur for corresponding cycles in.th e

engine. v

. Many variations of the application of this principle may be suggested,consequently I do not limit myself to the form disclosed-in the abovespecification and the diagrammat-ic drawin p I p v iYhat'I claim as newand desireto secure 4 by Letters Patent, is:

1., In a multiple cylinder ignition sy tem for internal combustionengines, spark plugs associated. with the several cylinders, a 7

source of current, a primary circuit clud ing said source, and aninterrupter,,a'l ansformer,means for distributing secondary current tothe fixed spark gaps in themriouscylinders, in combinatlon with meansfor periodically connecting to the ground the insulated terminal of thespark plug of 'a cylinder not to be fired as a spark is created in oneof the other cylinders.

- 2. In a multiple cylinder ignition system for internal combustionengines a primary circuit including a source of current, and aninterrupter including said source and a secondary circuit associatedwith said primary circuit'and including a spark arrestingdevice operatedby the engine; and which is periodically electrically connected to eachof.

the spark plugs in the order'of firing. 3. In a mult ple cylinderinternal combustion engine, a spark plug associated with each cylinder,a jump spark ignitionsystem tor same, consisting. or a primary-circuitincluding a source of'current and an inter-- rupter, a" secondary crcuit associated wlth said primary circuit, means for distributing.

said secondary current,t0= the fixed spar gaps in" the variouscylinders, anda spark arresting device operated by the engine and whichis electrically connected to each one of. the spark plugs, therebyestablishing a temporary short circuit to the ground in the order offiring, and following the cylinder to be fired during theshort-circuiting period. 4:. In combination with amultiple cylinderinternal combustion engine, spark plugs associated with the severalcylinders, a multiple cylinder jump spark ignition'system, in which aspark arresting device 0 erated by the engine is electrically connectedto all the spark plugs and means for temporarily tiple cylinder jumpspark ignition system,

in which a spark arresting device 0 erated by the engine is electricallyconnecte to all the spark plugs, and which temporarily establishes a lowresistance circuit from the high tension circuits leading to each plu tothe ground circuit, through said spar arresting device, in the order offiring during the intake cycle of the cylinder in which a given plu isbeing temporarily shortcircuited, and simultaneously with the ignitioncf the gas in one of the other cylinders.

6. In a multiple cylinder ignition system for internal combustionengines, a primary circuit including a source of current and aninterrupter, a secondary circuit associated with said primary circuitand including means for temporarily individually and periodicallyestablishing for each spark plug a circuit of less resistance for thehigh tension current, than offered by the spark plugs, including thegaps in the cylinders.

7. In a multiple cylinder internal combastion engine, spark plugsassociated with the s veral cylinders, a jump spark ignition system formm. a source of current, a primary circuit including said source and aninterrupter, a transformer, means for distributin'g secondary current tothe fixed spark gaps in the various cylinders, in combination with meansfor causing elec tric current to return to the transformer windingsthrough a path of lower resistance than across the fixed spark gaps inthe cylinders, synchronously with the ignition of gas in one of thecylinders.

JCT-IN LEWIS MILTON.

Witnesses:

N. S. MILTON, PRESTON P. Jones.

